Birds In The Night

I've spent a lot of time with Lawn Fawn stamps and Distress inks today. I forgot how much fun it is to ink up some backgrounds and then splatter them with water. Works particularly well with the darker colours. 

Today's card was inspired first and foremost by the lovely inspiration image over at Just Us Girls. I was inspired by all the green plants and the parrot. I was also inspired by the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch and colours over at Color Throwdown. I'm also linking up over at Time Out where the inspiration words are Paint The Flying Spirit Of The Birds Rather than its Feathers. 

Card: 300 gsm white card, Neenah Solar White card, scraps of yellow and purple card

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters in the Jungle, Gleeful Gardens, Critters From the Past, Happy Wedding and selected matching dies

Ink and Colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Wilted Violet, Dusty Concord, Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn, Copics

Dies: Lawn Fawn Starry Skies, Grassy Border, Stitched Borders

Smile A Latte

All good things must come to an end, including my lovely autumn annual leave. Many pairs of socks have been knitted, many cards made and even more lettering practice has been done. But now it's over and I have to face going back to the coal mines... 

Before that, I wanted to link up one more card over at the Fall Coffee Lover's Blog Hop - it's already the last day of the hop! Time goes so quickly. I'm also linking up with the new fall inspiration board challenge over at Lawn Fawnatics. I was inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches. I'm also linking up with the "Autumn Colours" challenge over at Make My Monday and the "Pop It Up"challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (the tag is attached using 3D foam dots).

Card: kraft card, scraps of yellow, orange and red card, Neenah Solar white card

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Love You A Latte and matching dies

Patterned Paper: Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Dies: Lawn Fawn Tag You're It, Stitched Leaves

It's A Brew-tiful Day

Just popping in quickly for another card for the Fall Coffee Lover's Blog Hop, inspired by the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch and the colours over at Just Us Girls. I'm also linking up over at CAS Mix Up where the theme is stamping + watercolour wash + your choice (die cutting) and AAA Cards where the theme is Autumn Colours. I used a NBUS STAMPlorations set called What's Brewing. I absolutely adore the strong lines and graphic look of these stamps and they really came out great stamped in Distress Oxide ink. I added some water onto the stamped image with a watercolour brush to oxidise the ink. I also added just a little bit of shading to the coffee mug and the steam from the coffee pot using Distress Oxide, and then coloured the wrapper around the mug with the same orange and red Distress Ink I used for the background.

 

Card: 200 gsm white card, Daler&Rowney 300 gsm watercolour paper, Neenah Solar white card, orange and yellow card from my stash, Dovecraft 110 gsm vellum

Stamps: STAMPlorations What's Brewing

Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle dies, It's a Brew-tiful day phrase die

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Festive Berries, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Distress Oxide Vintage photo

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

CAAAAKE!!

I've been on a baking spree lately - bacon and mushroom filled breakfast rolls, cheddar and apple bread, cinnamon buns and a delicious brown sugar buttercream iced apple cake. So when I saw the Cake theme over at CASology this week I couldn't resist a bit of baking in the craft room as well and it was the perfect opportunity to play with my new STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings stamps. I'm also linking up with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is CAS. Very basic, nothing but a bit of no-line watercolouring using Distress Inks, a bold black sentiment and a few pink splatters. Now off for a big cup of coffee and large slice of apple cake for this crafter!

Card: Daler&Rowney Aquafine 300 gsm watercolour paper
Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings
Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Spun Sugar, Squeezed Lemonade and Picked Raspberry, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Love You a Latte, Foxy

How many adulting points to I get for defrosting the freezer and descaling the kettle? I'd say at least enough to not do anything but eat cake and craft for the rest of the weekend!

I can't believe I almost missed out on the current Lawn Fawnatics challenge where the theme is Create a Scene. And what better than a fall scene with a little bit of coffee for the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop as well! Last, but not least I'm also linking up with Daring Cardmakers, where the theme is 4 Of Something (4 trees and 4 leaves). 

Card: 250 gsm white card, Neenah Solar White card, scrap of dark brown card
Patterned Paper: Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Fall, Let's Polka, Let's Polka in the Dark, Watercolour Wishes
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Party Animal and matching dies, Holiday Party Animal, Love You A Latte
Ink and Colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Tree Border Dies, Scalloped Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Grassy Border, Stitched Hillside Border, Spring Showers, Stitched Leaves

Welcome Baby Boy

Just a quick post today to show you a card I made. I haven't made as many cards as I thought I would, as I've been busy practising my lettering (which you can find on my Instagram). It all looks so easy when you watch the videos, but it's soooo hard!! But practice makes better, at least I'm hoping so... I know it has done so for my cards, so maybe in two year's time when I watch my clumsy attempts at lettering, I'll feel like I've made progress!

Anyhow, today's card is for a new baby boy and it was inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and the colours over at Sunday Stamps. I'm also linking up with CAS Mix Up where the theme is Stamping+Watercolour Wash+Your choice (die cutting and heat embossing). Last but not least I'm linking up with Make My Monday where the theme is Something For a Child and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Clean and Simple. 

Card: 200 gsm white card, Neenah Solar white card, 300 gsm Daler&Rowney Aquafine watercolour paper, scraps of navy blue, light blue and turquoise card

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Baby Plus One, Bannerific and matching dies

Ink and Colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Peacock Feathers, Broken China, BluePrint Sketch

Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle dies, Papermania Seafoam White Embossing powder, Ranger Clear Embossing powder

An Apple a Day

It's sods law that I managed to strain my back today. First day of two weeks of holiday! I was sorting out our loft, getting rid of all the empty cardboard boxes up there (why we felt it was a good idea to save all the cardboard boxes from our move is beyond me...) and after I finished, my upper back started to feel like someone was jabbing a knife into it, just next to my shoulder blade. So now I'm sitting comfortably in the conservatory, all drugged up with painkillers, unable to do pretty much anything besides read or type. Hoping this will be sorted with a few paracetamol and a good nights sleep as I have plenty of stuff planned for the next few weeks, mostly involving sorting out the loft, garage, garden, you get my drift... I need my body to fully co-operate with me. I'm too young to have this happen to me (is what I keep telling myself).

Luckily I'm still able to type up posts, if not creating new cards. Today's card was created before my close encounter with the empty cardboard boxes. It's inspired by the image over at 4 Crafty Chicks, who are also having a Guest DT call. I'm also linking up with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge where the theme is Stamp It, Paper Sweeties Challenge where the inspiration image also had fall produce on it, with Use Your Stuff where the theme is Fall Is In the Air and Color Inspiration where anything hand coloured goes.

For my card, I stamped the beautiful apples from STAMPlorations Be Thankful in Versafine Onyx Black and watercoloured with Distress Inks. I die cut the sentiment twice from red and yellow card and overlapped them slightly and die cut the panel using one of the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle nesting dies. Last, I inked Vintage Photo through the ARTplorations Weathered Wood stencil and added the front panel to the card.

Card: Daler&Rowney 300 gsm Aquafine watercolour card, 250 gsm white card, scraps of red and yellow card
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Walnut Stain, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Festive Berries
Stamps: STAMPlorations Be Thankful
Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting dies, Thanks word die
Stencil: ARTplorations Weathered Wood

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes. 

Rainbow Lily

You know I can't resist a rainbow. So when I saw the gorgeous rainbow striped card to CASE over at Time Out I could not resist. How could I? So out came the Copics, and the gorgeous Blossom Sprays Lily stamp from STAMPlorations. My card was also inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches. I'm also linking up with Just Add Ink where the theme is Just Add D (die cuts), Shopping Our Stash where the theme is On Trend (rainbows! what could be more on trend than rainbows!) and last but not least Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday challenge where the theme is Stamp It.

Card: 250 gsm white card, Neenah Solar white card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #3, Sweet Cravings

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Circle die, CUTplorations Happy Word die, Lawn Fawn Let's Polka in the Dark, Ranger Ice Stickles

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes. 

Radiant Roses

I have waited for this for a long time. Finally time for my summer leave - although summer is already fading fast. Two whole weeks of no work! And of course, I'm coming down with a cold. Oh well, less gardening and more crafting. But we do have apple and pear trees heavy with fruit so I there will be a lot of jamming and stewing in this house over the next few days.

Anyhow, I did spend the whole morning in the craft room today. This card was inspired by the colours over at Color Throwdown and the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch. I'm also linking up with the "Add text" theme over at House of Cards and the Stamp It theme at both Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday Challenge.

Card: Neenah Solar White, Stampin' Up Basic Black
Stamps: STAMPlorations In Bloom: Radiant Roses, Lotus Love
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Copics
Other: Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle, Signo white gel pen

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes. 

CAS on Friday Guest Designer

I was so excited to see that my giraffe card was chosen as the winner of CAS on Friday a few weeks ago, which means I have the honour to be a Guest Designer with them this week. The theme this week is Color Me Pretty, which means you should use pencils or markers to colour your creation. Thank you again to the CAS on Friday team for picking my card as the winner and for all the work you do to bring this great challenge to us crafters.

For my card, I chose to use the gorgeous STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #3 from the fab Deepti of Dee's Art Utopia. I stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black onto Neenah Solar White card and heat embossed with clear powder before colouring it with Copics. To keep everything as CAS as possible, all I did was cut out the panel using the Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting die and stamped a small sentiment from Trendy Feathers 2. Sometimes it's so much fun to make cards which only require a minimum amount of stash and let a beautiful stamp just shine on its' own.

Card: 250 gsm white card, Neenah Solar white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Blossom Sprays #3, Trendy Feathers 2.
Ink and colouring: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Other: STAMPlorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting die, Ranger clear embossing powder